Books

7 Books We Want Enhanced

Earlier this month, Apple announced that they would be selling new “enhanced” Harry Potter e-books. These e-books include illustrations, animations and supplemental writing from author J.K. Rowling – among other cool content. The announcement got us thinking: what other books would we love to see enhanced? Here are our picks.

Fantasy stories based in elaborate fictional worlds are the perfect candidate for enhanced e-books – which brings J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy to the top of the list. Sure, the author might be long gone, but he left behind several creations that could enhance his most famous novels – like the invention a whole language (Elvish) and a book entirely devoted to the history of Middle-Earth (The Silmarillion).

Like Tolkien’s fantasy classic, A Game of Thrones is another rich world ripe for enhancement in digital form. Plus, there’s the accompanying HBO show to take a ton of content from – we’d love to see interviews with the people responsible for bringing Westeros to life. But the e-book would have to be published soon if it were to include original content from the author. After al, George R.R. Martin isn’t getting any younger.

Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code might not be fantasy, but it would still make for a pretty incredible enhanced e-book. We’d love to see reproductions of the artworks mentioned, or illustrations of the famous historical sites where the book takes place, like Westminster Abbey. Or how about some content that shows how much of the history behind The Da Vinci Code is real and how much is fictional? Dan Brown is only 51, so the content possibilities are endless.

We’re called SuperheroYou – so you know we have to put a graphic novel on this list. Our pick? Watchmen, which propelled the superhero genre from the comic world to the literary one. How about some interviews from the film adaptation, new illustrations from Watchmen fans or more original work by its author and artists?

Think an e-book in the self-improvement genre can’t be enhanced? Think again! The enhanced version of Think and Grow Rich could include worksheets for applying Napoleon Hill’s principles to your life. Another option is to add testimonials and examples of how famous fans of the 1937 classic live by Hill’s advice.

Rick Riordan already has downloadable games and wallpapers on the website for Percy Jackson and the Olympians – so he probably wouldn’t have any trouble coming up with content ideas for an enhanced e-book. And since the series is based on Greek mythology, he has a wealth of established backstory to mine for more ideas.

Thought Tolkien was good at worldbuilding? Tamora Pierce has FIVE book series set in the Tortall universe, including The Song of the Lioness. But we picked this quartet because it has a female protagonist – an unfortunate rarity in the fantasy genre. We’d love to hear Pierce’s thoughts on the feminist tones throughout the series. And at 60, she’s more than capable of creating original content we’d love to see.

Earlier this month, Apple announced that they would be selling new “enhanced” Harry Potter e-books. These e-books include illustrations, animations and supplemental writing from author J.K. Rowling – among other cool content. The announcement got us thinking: what other books would we love to see enhanced? Here are our picks.

Fantasy stories based in elaborate fictional worlds are the perfect candidate for enhanced e-books – which brings J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy to the top of the list. Sure, the author might be long gone, but he left behind several creations that could enhance his most famous novels – like the invention a whole language (Elvish) and a book entirely devoted to the history of Middle-Earth (The Silmarillion).

Like Tolkien’s fantasy classic, A Game of Thrones is another rich world ripe for enhancement in digital form. Plus, there’s the accompanying HBO show to take a ton of content from – we’d love to see interviews with the people responsible for bringing Westeros to life. But the e-book would have to be published soon if it were to include original content from the author. After al, George R.R. Martin isn’t getting any younger.

Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code might not be fantasy, but it would still make for a pretty incredible enhanced e-book. We’d love to see reproductions of the artworks mentioned, or illustrations of the famous historical sites where the book takes place, like Westminster Abbey. Or how about some content that shows how much of the history behind The Da Vinci Code is real and how much is fictional? Dan Brown is only 51, so the content possibilities are endless.

We’re called SuperheroYou – so you know we have to put a graphic novel on this list. Our pick? Watchmen, which propelled the superhero genre from the comic world to the literary one. How about some interviews from the film adaptation, new illustrations from Watchmen fans or more original work by its author and artists?

Think an e-book in the self-improvement genre can’t be enhanced? Think again! The enhanced version of Think and Grow Rich could include worksheets for applying Napoleon Hill’s principles to your life. Another option is to add testimonials and examples of how famous fans of the 1937 classic live by Hill’s advice.

Rick Riordan already has downloadable games and wallpapers on the website for Percy Jackson and the Olympians – so he probably wouldn’t have any trouble coming up with content ideas for an enhanced e-book. And since the series is based on Greek mythology, he has a wealth of established backstory to mine for more ideas.

Thought Tolkien was good at worldbuilding? Tamora Pierce has FIVE book series set in the Tortall universe, including The Song of the Lioness. But we picked this quartet because it has a female protagonist – an unfortunate rarity in the fantasy genre. We’d love to hear Pierce’s thoughts on the feminist tones throughout the series. And at 60, she’s more than capable of creating original content we’d love to see.